Whether you’re home or out in public, cleanliness has never been more important. While you might be temtped to hose down your yard and driveway, household hazardous waste (HHW’s) and even organic waste can cause a devastating impact to our watershed. With that in mind, here are five ways that you can minimize runoff pollution
- Keep your storm drains clear: Remember the times your streets turned into canals? Natural waste such as leaves, branches, grass clippings can easily clog storm drains. Hosing down your driveway will not only drain out your wallet, it could potentially cause even more expensive water damage to your property if the storm drains become clogged. Consider using a broom and dustpan to sweep away natural debris. It’s cost effective and simple!
- Don’t build towers in your trash cans: Every week, pick up all the litter around your house and avoid over-filling your trash bins as high as the Tower of Pisa! Wind or unbalanced trash cans can easily drop waste all over the street.
- Consider converting to a Drought Tolerant Landscape: Not only will this make your garden stand out from others, utilizing rocks and xeriscape plants need little to no maintenance. This means no more weekly chores such as mowing the lawn, trimming the bushes, and harsh pesticides which all contribute to toxic
- Get creative with your landscaping: Build a berm, a small hill covered with grass or other plants, that will divert runoff pollutants from entering our water source! This will create an aesthetically pleasing garden that is not only pleasant to the eye, but also effective at catching debris and runoff pollutants from directly entering the storm
- Watch your waste: HHW’s does not only apply to chemicals you apply to your garden! Does your car leak oil onto the driveway? Washing your car and outdoor furniture with soap and water in your yard? Sanding and paining the exterior of your house? These are all examples of how we create pollutants. Visit rcwatershed.org for more solutions on how to keep HHW’s out of our watershed! The more we are aware about the little things we do, the more we can all collectively do our part to keep our water sources free of pollutants.
